Confessions of a PBA import

The day before he left Manila for his Texas home last week, Purefoods import Chris Morris talked about his past, present, and future in baring his soul during an exclusive STAR interview.

Morris, 36, played five games for the Tender Juicy Hot Dogs as Kelvin Price’s replacement in the eliminations of the Samsung Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup. He averaged 20.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists to lead Purefoods to a 2-3 windup. The Hot Dogs won their last two outings, prompting Morris to comment that if Warren Rosegreen and he opened the conference, the club would’ve surely advanced to the quarterfinals.

So what went wrong in Purefoods’ campaign?

"We ran out of time," said the 6-8 Morris, one of 37 National Basketball Association (NBA) first round draft picks to play here since 1975.

Morris said a frustration was Filipino players being too laid back. "They gotta play with more emotion," he noted. "They gotta get real, play with fire in the gut. They can’t just be standing around. I told my teammates to mix it up, go strong to the hole, move without the ball so they get a better shot at hitting the bucket. We can’t be a jump-shooting team.

Coach Ryan (Gregorio) and I learned a lot from each other. He knows his stuff. He’s mild-mannered and knows when to turn it off and on. In basketball, you gotta be tough. If you foul, foul hard to earn the respect of your opponent."

A journeyman, Morris played for three NBA teams in 11 seasons then briefly saw action in Greece in 1999. He suited up for the Harlem Globetrotters and the Southern California Surf in the American Basketball Association (ABA) before landing here.

Morris, the New Jersey Nets’ first round pick and fourth overall in 1988, shared his high and low moments in the pros:

"My high moments came when I played for Utah in the 1997 and 1998 Finals against Chicago. I went up against Michael (Jordan) and Scottie (Pippen).

They were the best–you play your best when you’re up against the best. Pippen wasn’t as aggressive as Michael on defense but had those long arms. Scottie was so intelligent–he’d make you turn to where he could anticipate your next move. In Game 6 of the 1998 Finals, Michael pushed off on Byron (Russell) to get clear for the last shot There should’ve been a foul but the referees had no balls to call it. I would’ve played Michael different from Russell–I wouldn’t have lost my footing and would’ve stayed on him when he went up for the shot."

Morris said playing in the NBA allowed him a close look at the greatest players ever. He singled out John Stockton, Alvin Robertson and Sidney Moncrief as the best guards–Rick Mahorn as the player who comes closest to the tag as dirtiest player–and Larry Bird, Alex English and Purvis Short as the best pure shooters.

A low point was Nets teammate Drazen Petrovic’s death in 1993. "He was a good friend," continued Morris. "He was a blessing to our team. I lost a brother when Drazen was killed in that car accident in Germany. Chris Dudley and I were chosen to represent the Nets at his funeral in Croatia. Thousands came for the burial. It was a closed casket case and the Croatian president was there to pay his respects."

Another low point was being at Nets teammate Jayson Williams’ 41-room mansion when the superstar shot a van rental driver last February. Morris and another NBA veteran Benoit Benjamin were invited by Williams to the house after a Globetrotters game. There were 12 others in the group that partied at the estate. Morris said he was held 20 hours for questioning by police. The death was an accident but Williams’ attempts to cover up the murder will likely bring him to jail.

An only child, Morris grew up with his mother Patricia and stepfather in Georgia. His biological father left when he was just a baby. His mother and stepfather later divorced. His mother, 57, played hoops at Fort Valley State College and used to coach basketball. A former teacher, she works in the lab at Georgia Power.

"I had good memories as a kid," said Morris. "I was showered with attention because I was an only child. I grew up a country boy. I’d go to my grandma’s farm and work the fields–doing corn, peas, vegetables, and feeding the horses and pigs. It’s good to get your hands dirty.